Crystals of Arborea

Arborea is an absorbing, atmospheric role playing game which uses the established parameters of the genre, yet still manages to be entertaining and original. The fact that every feature in the game randomises, means that you could play it for years and still enjoy the challenge.

If you enjoy a good adventure you should definitely consider this one. My only gripe is the run-of-the-mill story line.

If you're prepared to spend some time establishing exactly how to begin (there are moments when the correct action is far from obvious), you may find Crystals Of Arborea rich and rewarding.

Overall, Crystals of Arborea was a gem among games when it was first released. Pushing the boundaries of technology, and offering a very good gameplay made the game very enjoyable even to people who were new to roleplaying. However, the weak interface, lack of a coherent story and a few balancing issues have hurt the game considerably.

Basically it's a Dungeon Master rip-off, but it's not particularly well done. All the character selection is pretty much the same but actual movement is slightly different. There are bags of features to it - 1,600 location puzzles and overall strategyness abounds.

The game gets a 3 for its innovation and graphics. After all, this is the game which would spawn the Ishar-series. The sound bumps the grade down, as well as the monotonous game play. This does not mean the game is bad, on the contrary, it can be enjoyed by many and I can assure you, and every RPG fan that saw RPG’s development, the game can bring a lot of pleasant moments.

Hübsche Grafiken prägen Silmarils' neues Rollenspiel. Viele Bilder sind dreidimensional und außerdem nahezu bild schirmfüllend. Die Story ist mal wieder haarsträubend banal: der Weltuntergang steht kurz bevor – nur einer kann ihn verhindern, indem er die Bruchstücke eines machtvollen Kristalls findet.

Da aber die Steuerung wunderbar leicht von der Hand geht, könnten zumindest Jung-Abenteuer Gefallen an der Suche nach den magischen Steinchen finden. Routinierte Haudegen hingegen erfüllt der eklatante Substanzmangel des Games mit Grausen - da kocht man seinen Kaffee doch lieber selber...

Der Kampfbildschirm besteht aus einem Raster, auf dem man seine Personen hin- und herschiebt, Monster werden durch bloßes Anklicken geprügelt. Doch das Ganze ist etwas umständlich zu bedienen, macht kaum Spaß und sollte nicht in höheren Dosen genossen werden. Die Grafik ist zugegebenermaßen originell, doch das reicht nicht aus, um einen lange vor den Amiga zu bannen. Wer wirklich solide Fantasy-Spiele sucht, greife zu den SSI-Titeln, da weiß man, was man hat.

Some nicely drawn graphics, but it just asks you to do the same sort of thing for hours on end. Dull, repetitive and ultimately pretty pointless.